Jalandhar police bust online fraud racket, arrest 3
The Jalandhar Police Commissionerate on Sunday busted a major online fraud racket, arresting three persons allegedly involved in large-scale illegal digital activities.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, a team from the Navi Baradari police station carried out a raid at Hotel M-1 in Jalandhar, where the suspects were reportedly operating their network.
During the operation, police recovered Rs 24 lakh in cash, 14 mobile phones, a laptop, 19 bank passbooks under different names, and 43 ATM cards suspected to have been used for fraudulent transactions.
The arrested persons have been identified as Varun Anchal, a resident of Shaheed Babu Labh Singh Nagar; Anil, from Madhuban Colony; and Dudhagara Rimpal, hailing from Morbi Road, Rajkot, Gujarat. All three were apprehended from the hotel and are suspected to be key members of the cybercrime operation.
Commissioner of Police Dhanpreet Kaur said the arrests were the result of diligent surveillance and timely action by the police teams.
She added that the significant cash recovery, along with multiple electronic devices and financial documents, points to a well-organised network engaged in digital fraud.
“The seized ATM cards and passbooks were likely being used to channel and withdraw money from various bank accounts created using fake or stolen identities”, Kaur said.
She added that the accused were presented in court and the police have obtained a three-day remand for further interrogation.
“Investigators are currently working to uncover the full extent of the fraud, which is suspected to have links beyond Punjab. Police are examining the digital evidence retrieved from the seized devices,” Kaur said.
Efforts are underway to trace the origin of the recovered money and identify possible victims.
The Commissioner reiterated the department’s commitment to cracking down on cybercrime and bringing all those involved to justice.
“No one connected to the racket will be spared. We are pursuing every lead, and further arrests are likely as the investigation progresses,” she said.
Punjab